The Grenadiers, Hoffman Estates and Harlan are all 2-0 in the six-team tourney.

I thought Amber played really well, said Grens coach Kathie Swanson. Offensively, she was aggressive. She saw she had the advantage inside and she capitalized.

A 3-pointer by North Lawndales Shantell Wilson pulled the Phoenix to within 19-18 with 1:20 left in the first half.

But in the final minute, Naughton hit 2 free throws and Lindfors made one to give the Grens a 22-18 edge at the break.

Elk Grove carried the momentum into the third quarter.

Naughton pulled down a rebound and went coast-to-coast for a bank shot that sparked a 6-0 run, including 2 free throws by Lindfors and another coast-to-coast layup by Naughton.

Coach Swanson told us we couldnt play their game, said Naughton, a Jacksonville State recruit. She said we had to play our game. We had to stay composed. Thats what we needed to keep our lead and eventually extend it.

A steal and layup by Nadia Miller got the Phoenix to within 32-27 but the Grens used 2 free throws from Taylor Brown and 2 more by Lindfors to increase the advantage to 9 points with less than three minutes.

We definitely had a difficult time in the first quarter,  Naughton said. But we pulled through and started playing a lot better defense at the end. We are still learning a lot so it was good to pull together in this game.